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FIVB17/08/2016

Volleyball House a hit with AISTS students

Rio de Janeiro, August 16, 2016 – The Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS) was welcomed to the Volleyball House on Tuesday, proving that the FIVB is committed to nurturing the next generation of the volleyball family both on and off the court.

Education is a key role in the development of sport and AISTs – which was created in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2000 – helps to improve the quality of sports through education.

The informal meeting was another example of how the Volleyball House is helping build and strengthen relationships between the FIVB and all its stakeholders.

“We can show our commitment to the intellectual development of future sports administrators, the ones that will write the future of sports,” said Mario Medeiros, sponsorship sales director at the FIVB.

Many former members of the AISTS programme are employed by the FIVB, and the organization regularly welcomes students as interns to help further their knowledge of sports administration,

“It’s important for us to support the federations in as many ways as we can,” said Dominique Gobat, head of business and development at AISTS. “Education empowers people to make decisions. If we give a solid education to people, the future sports managers will make healthy, educated decisions.”

The results can be already seen. Former Brazilian student Thayssa Plum said the masters on Sports Management she earned through the programme made her career grow.

“When I saw that the World Cup and the Olympics were coming to Brazil, I saw that I needed to change. I studied there, and I left my job as a radio journalist to work in the backstage for the Cup, and now I’m hired by Fifa to work on the next two World Cups”, she said.

It is also an avenue for former athletes to explore, with Rio 2016 windsurfing athlete Toni Wilhelm of Germany set to begin the next stage of his career thanks to AISTS.

“It’s hard to study when you are an athlete because you must be in many competitions abroad,” he said. “I finished my studies in 2010, and right after that I started the Masters in AISTS. I will retire after this Olympics, and that moment was important to make me have other opportunities beyond sports.”